1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fishing reel crank handles and more particularly, to a novel crank handle adapted to be extended and retracted to lengthen or shorten the length of the handle so as to increase or decrease the throw of the handle as it is turned by the user.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
It has been a conventional practice in the fishing industry to employ a fishing reel which has a cage or frame for rotatably supporting a spool upon which a length of fishing line is wound for storage purposes. The winding is achieved by means of a handle which is rotatably carried on the frame and which is coupled to the spool directly or indirectly through gears so that a variety of spool speeds are provided. Normally, it is difficult to provide a plurality of gears on the reel frame without unduly weighting or complicating the fishing reel as a means for controlling spool winding speed. Also, when a gear box is employed, it generally requires physical disengagement of the crank handle with one drive gear so that it may be physically aligned and engaged with another drive gear in order to effect a change in winding speed. Such a procedure is time consuming and certainly adversely affects the concentration of the fisherman.
The importance of spool real in speed is particularly evident when engaged in the procedure of game fishing in the ocean when a substantial length of fishing line is employed. It is not unusual for a length of fishing line to reach or exceed three to four hundred yards. Obviously, a substantial period of time is required to reel in such line and particularly when the line is loaded with a reluctant game fish. Such practice requires that the fisherman train to perform such a reeling or winding-in procedure which will extend his endurance and resist or retard muscle fatigue.
Although a variety of varying speed drive gears may be employed for regulating the speed of wind-in for the fishing line on a spool, little thought has been given to adjusting the throw of the crank handle diameter of rotation by lengthening or shortening the crank handle itself. By lengthening the handle, more time is required to wind or wrap line on the spool per rotation than the time needed when the length is shortened. Therefore, a long standing need has existed to provide a variable length crank handle which will be adjustable along its length or varying the throw of the handle during rotaton so as to affect the speed of spool reel in of fishing line.